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Two States Declare State of Emergency After Gas Pipeline Leaks 250,000 Gallons

(ANTIMEDIA)As Native Americans protesters facearrest in North Dakota for blocking the
construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a gasoline pipeline spill is
currently unfolding in the South. The leak has prompted Alabama Gov.Robert BentleyandGeorgia Gov. Nathan Dealto declare states of emergency.

The Colonial Pipeline, whichruns
from Houston to New York, began leaking on September 9, spilling
250,000 gallons of gasoline, or6,000
barrels. The pipeline was built in 1962, and the current leak in
Helena, Alabama, is the largest one Colonial Pipeline has experienced in 20
years,Reutersnoted.

AL.comreportedthat according to the Colonial
Pipeline company’s spokesperson, Bill Berry, the pipeline could still be
leaking:

“The leaking pipeline was shut
down [last] Friday after the leak was discovered, but Berry said there may be
additional gas still inside the pipeline. The leaking section of pipeline
hasn’t been excavated yet due to safety precautions, so Berry said the
condition of the pipeline and cause of the leak is still unknown.”

Hundreds of employees and contract
workersface
health risks from inhaling vaporas they work overtime to clean up the
spill, which the company says is contained to a mining retention pond.AL.comreports “the leak was discovered at the
inactive mine site by employees of the Alabama Surface Mining Commission.”

Fortunately, the company is taking a
variety of steps to mitigate potential damage.

“Crews have installed temporary
plugs in the pipeline on either side of the spill location, and gasoline is
being extracted from the affected section of pipeline at those blockage sites,”AL.comexplains.

Local conservationists say Colonial
is doing its part to provide a swift and safe cleanup. The company is working
with theCahaba Riverkeeperand Tri-State Bird and Rescueto “minimize environmental impact.” AsAL.comnoted,“Cahaba Riverkeeper David Butler called the company’s ‘aggressive’
response ‘refreshing’ compared to how some companies deal with environmental
spills.”

“Every concern we’ve had,
they’ve addressed with really no pushback,” Butler said. “As bad as any situation like this is, all you can really ask is
that they be responsible and accountable and I certainly haven’t found any
fault in their response so far.”

Butler believes that “if the weather holds, the gasoline will not reach the river,”AL.comreports.
Even so, a thunderstorm isexpected in
Helena on Sunday, increasing the risk that it could cause the spilled gasoline
to spread into other water sources.

Some residents are confident the
situation is being handled, but Billy McDanal, who lives 2.3 miles from the
leak, expressed concerns
over the weather forecast:

“If it starts raining that’s got to go somewhere; it’s going to
overflow that [mining retention] pond,” he said. “I
am worried about the drinking water because it does get in the Cahaba River and
it’s all flowing toward the pumping station … and if it gets into the pumping
station it’s going to get into our water.”

Though the stated location of the
leak at the inactive mine site was convenient — and the company’s response has
been satisfactory — the leak itself still raises concerns about the safety of
energy pipelines in the United States. The Colonial Pipeline companyclaimsit has kept the line’s infrastructure
up-to-date in a variety of ways:

“Technological advancements have
played a vital role in Colonial’s history, from computers that control lines,
open and close valves and monitor the pressure inside the pipe, to
environmentally friendly geodesic domes atop storage tanks, to ‘smart pigs’
that inspect the inside of pipelines and ensure they are safe to operate.”

In spite of these upgrades, however,
the leak still occurred, calling into question the effectiveness of such
measures. Similarly, though proponents of the Dakota Access Pipelineclaimit
is safe, lapses like the one in Helena raise concerns, especially considering
the Dakota pipeline is intended to carry crude oil, which can causesevere long-term damage to ecosystems.
Though the infrastructure of the Dakota pipeline would admittedly be new — and
leaks usually occur in older equipment — ruptures arestill
possiblein newer
pipelines.

In the meantime, the governors of
both Georgia and Alabama havedeclaredstates of emergency, not due to
environmental concerns, butover
the gas shortagethat
will result from the leak. After Colonial Pipeline announced Thursday
there would be a delay in restarting the pipeline because “work activity was intermittent overnight due to unfavorable
weather conditions that caused gasoline vapors to settle over the site,”
the price of gasoline futuresrose six
percent.

Whether or not the spill will cause
environmental damage remains to be seen, but as aging and inadequate
infrastructure results in leakages of natural
gas,radioactive
material, andother
chemicalsacross
the country, one thing is clear: Americans may want to consider curbing their
appetite for potentially harmful sources of energy.